GLA Missions launches 1st Institutional Policy Dialogue to drive Mediterranean sustainability efforts

On 10 October 2024, the Green Living Areas Mission launched its first Institutional Policy Dialogue in Brussels, bringing together diverse stakeholders at POLIS Network’s headquarters to address pressing sustainability challenges across Mediterranean cities.  

Last month, on 10 October 2024, the 1st Institutional Policy Dialogue of the Green Living Areas Mission took place in Brussels, back-to-back with the European Week of Cities and Regions. Hosted at the POLIS network office, the event gathered a wide range of stakeholders to discuss the urgent sustainability challenges affecting Mediterranean cities, aiming to boost local collaboration and expand green urban policies across the region.

The event focused on cross-cutting themes and established parallel policy working groups. These groups analysed selected policy champions from green living areas’ key focus areas. They were: 

1. Green Mobility 

Policy champion:  Sustainable Urban Logistics Plan (SULP) – Bologna, Italy

2. Spatial planning,

Policy champion: Superblocks – Barcelona, Spain

3. Renewable energy and economic development,

Policy champion: Chalki Island, in the frame of GR-eco Island initiative and with the support of DAFNI Network – Greece

4. Environment and innovation

Policy champion: Public procurement of innovative solutions (PPI) – Narni, Italy

These successful models highlighted how collaboration can create greener, more resilient urban spaces, inspiring a unified commitment to address regional sustainability challenges.

With mutual learning and cross-sector synergy at the forefront, this event set a solid foundation for ongoing cooperation within and beyond the Euro-MED Programme, driving policy coherence and sustainable urban transformation. For this reason, the event also featured the participation of the Euro-MED Programme’s Sustainable Economy Mission’s Institutional Dialogue project. 

The Green Living Areas Mission is committed to continuing these exchanges over the next few the years and seize the opportunity to extend this collaboration beyond the Euro-MED Programme.